In The Office EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW As featured in The importance

of mentoring Destination: Vienna Audi TT The CEO Magazine Managing your super Shangri-La Upgrading enterprise Mother’s Day gift guide technology

MAY 2015 $14.95 Incl. GST 23 For more info visit

876005 ISSN 2201-876X 772201 Great 9 theceomagazine.com.au SOUTHERN LANDS

Ambassador Consul-General of Brazil Carlos de Abreu celebrates the 70-year relationship between and Brazil and highlights opportunities to build stronger business ties Simply Puma Energy’s Ray Taylor • Shaver Shop’s Cameron Fox • Steadfast Group’s Robert Kelly Doing DEALS Shaking up the merger and acquisition industry, ansarada is simplifying the amalgamation process for analysts, advisers, and sellers across the globe.

Images courtesy of ansarada, Those Architects, and Brett Boardman

s the CEO of Daphne Chang, who were involved “We wanted to products or won’t do because ansarada, Sam Riley in an M&A deal of their own. They discover what they are trying to serve others. has a strong vision for needed a virtual data room, but We can say no to anything that the future of mergers found themselves frustrated by the the biggest doesn’t make sense.” and acquisitions products that were on the market. problems in A(M&A). He wants his business to So they joined forces with Sam—an M&A were and Sam has a background in disrupt the marketplace and start a entrepreneur—and, as a team, set start-up ventures and has always revolution, resulting in an out to make something how we could been “trying to build a little improved and more efficient M&A significantly better. empire”. He never went to process. “Our goals are really to solve them.” university, and spent a chunk of make everything 10 times easier After extensive customer - Sam Riley his career working for Streets Ice and 10 times faster,” he says. “We research, the result was Cream before he realised the want to democratise, demonetise, ansarada—a business developed bureaucratic environment wasn’t and really disrupt the industry around the core values of for him and he decided to go exponentially. That keeps us innovation, support, transparency, out on his own. A failed juice hungry, and challenges the ways and passion. “We wanted to bar attempt later, he jumped at we think and operate.” discover what the biggest the chance to put his past problems in M&A were and how learning to good use and Focusing solely on M&A, ansarada we could solve them,” Sam says. become a co-founder of is well on its way to satisfying that “As a software development ansarada. He was focused and position. Its innovative products, company, we manage our own ready to help turn this new high level of customer service, and products, we service them, and venture into a great success passion for simplicity ensure client we sell them. We get to control story. With $30,000 in capital, stress is alleviated while a positive the whole experience. That’s our the four of them began to turn outcome is achieved. The company big differentiator, and it has their ideas into reality. was first conceived in 2005 by allowed us to say yes to things They created their brand, software developer Andrew Slavin that make sense for M&A that developed an operational and accountants Rachel Riley and other people won’t put in their strategy, hired staff, and built a

102. The CEO Magazine - May 2015 theceomagazine.com.au culture centred on trust, have thousands of clients, and does not follow a typical value or issue. “A lot of it is about credibility, respect, and fairness. we’ve probably run a trillion hierarchical structure, and instead influencing people’s philosophies dollars worth of M&A deals,” Sam has a servant-based leadership through different reading materials “Ultimately, business models are says. “At any one time, we are model which clearly lays out or books,” Sam explains. “It’s about just hypotheses, and you can only running a thousand M&A deals expectations and responsibilities. what really motivates us and what prove them right or wrong in the around the world, and doing 70 gives us purpose and autonomy. It marketplace,” Sam says. “You per cent of the M&A work in “Walking the talk at the top is a gets us thinking differently about cannot, with a hypothesis, know Australia and New Zealand. We big one for us, as is spending things, and challenges the status what a customer will want, how have about 100 staff and we money on the things that matter. quo. Right now we are reading a much they’ll pay, or what type of operate from three hubs: Sydney, When you invest in something, it book called 360 Leadership: delivery they require. You can try Chicago, and .” shows what you really care about, Developing Your Influence from to do that and it will either work and we really do invest in our Anywhere in the Organisation by or it won’t. Then you have to Ansarada prides itself on having a staff. Everyone gets so many John C Maxwell and we are refine it continually. That is the great working environment. It has things that are over the top, like unpacking that every week. It talks kind of approach we’ve taken initiatives in place to nurture staff Kindles, an awesome workplace, about the fact that leadership is with ansarada.” on professional and personal epic Christmas parties, and not just a title—anyone can levels. When a person commences celebrations throughout the year. influence leadership and anyone In 2006, the company helped its their employment, they receive a So celebrating, rewarding, can lead from anywhere. It first client through an M&A and welcome pack that includes an thanking, and those sorts of things explores how you lead from every things snowballed from there. In Amazon Kindle, and later they are really add to the great working angle, whether that be up, across, ansarada’s first year, it recorded a offered coaching programs to help culture we have.” or down, and tackles myths that turnover of half a million dollars, them achieve their long-term people have about leadership. It and in 2015 that figure is forecast career goals. Internal promotions Training and development are gets some conversation going in a “We have to get to hit the $20-million mark. “We are common, and individual and particularly important, with time really collaborative way.” people to group successes are always and money devoted to various celebrated. In fact, last year leadership programs, short courses, Furthermore, staff have a sense of realise that ansarada was ranked fifth in a and consults. Each quarter, staff are purpose at ansarada. “The mission when you are in “Sam and his innovative team are never afraid to challenge the status quo. survey of Australia’s best places to given a theme and are required to of the company is to make life Their enthusiasm and drive to be at the forefront of digital marketing a fast-growth trends helps us achieve positive results, year on year.” - Woj Kwasi, CEO, work with less than 100 read or watch some content that is easier for everyone in M&A. Kwasi Studios employees. Sam says ansarada focused on a relevant business Anyone in any role should be business, you able to directly see how their work is contributing to that and have to grow making a positive impact. You your skills and work really hard to break down knowledge at your company mission to a department and to an individual, the same rate.” and the clearer you make that, the - Sam Riley Say Hello to the Sales more it helps those people have control and autonomy over their Rep that Never Sleeps work. They have clarity around the organisation’s mission.”

You don’t have to pay it a six-figure salary, it never takes a day off, and it Ansarada’s key suppliers and keeps working for you 24/7. All you need to do is get it working properly … partners also align with the For both humans and search engines. business’s core values, delivering a While experiencing fast-paced accommodate different locations service which complements its success, ansarada’s journey hasn’t and cultures around the world, Say hello to your website! journey. Some relationships are come without its challenges. Sam managing growth profitably We help understand your site so your business can be easily found developed for the short term, if it says hiring the right people has without overcommitting and online, and finetune it so it delights both your prospects and customers. can be foreseen that the service been a somewhat difficult task. putting the business at risk, will no longer be required in a few “We have to get people to realise keeping ahead in innovation, years time, while others are for the that when you are in a fast-growth prioritising, and being prepared to long term. “We are a specialist in business, you have to grow your make investments that might not “The results speak for themselves— what we do, and we like to work skills and knowledge at the same pay off in six months but will bring Kwasi Studios helped double our web traffic, with suppliers that share the same rate—otherwise the job you are advantages in the long term. and since the launch of our new site philosophy and are specialists in doing today, well, you will be leads have not only tripled, what they do,” Sam says. “So that failing at it tomorrow. Not because Ansarada is dedicated to helping but improved in quality.” kind of dictates who we work you are doing anything bad, but deal-makers work though the with—people who share the same because the businesses needs and often-complicated M&A cycle by - Sam Riley, CEO, ansarada passion and philosophy around demands are changing. If you don’t breaking down the complexities being a specialist. We tend to keep up, then you become a and making the process as simple “You owe it to your business to take good care of work better with suppliers that bottleneck to the business.” as possible for all involved. This want to be everything to someone results in a stress-free journey and, your hardest working salesman…” rather than lots of things to lots of Other challenges have included ultimately, a positive outcome that Don’t wait, visit kwasistudios.com/ceo today to find out more. different people.” adapting ansarada’s strategy to everyone can be happy with.

theceomagazine.com.au The CEO Magazine - May 2015 105.